


Strange what desire can make foolish people do

by badwolf_doctor



Series: {Let me lay waste to thee} [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Quinn's having a pretty rough go of it too, Vex'ikale had a rough couple of days, sith politics are bullshit, specifically the Quinncident, spoilers for class story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 08:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20832683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolf_doctor/pseuds/badwolf_doctor
Summary: Vex'ikale's father had told him once that letting someone get close to him only meant they needed a shorter knife to stab you in the back with. Maybe if he'd actually listened to him, he'd have seen this betrayal coming. As it was, he'd been utterly blindsided.The Sith Warrior faces betrayal by someone they thought they could trust.





	Strange what desire can make foolish people do

**Author's Note:**

> I was just writing random things, trying to get a better handle on Vex'ikale as a character and almost 2000 words of Quinncident related angst happened. So, here we are.

“After everything we’ve been through together, you’d choose Baras over me?” Vex’ikale was rarely surprised by anything in life, but he _truly_ had not seen this coming. Perhaps he’d been blinded by his affection for Quinn. Or maybe Quinn was a skilled enough liar to hide his true allegiance from Vex; perhaps every soft word, each gentle smile and lingering look had been nothing but an act. Maybe it had all been a game, a way to keep Vex off-balance and leading all to this moment here. If so, it had worked—spectacularly.  
Quinn was not a mindless zealot, no, he was a man of logic and reason. Surely Vex could talk him down, make him see that Baras was not the sith Quinn should be backing.

“Baras does not care for the Empire; he talks about doing what is best for the Empire,” Vex’ikale continued, “but it is all a smokescreen to disguise his mad dash for power. He will use you and then cast you aside. Then, it will be you standing here at the mercy of someone you thought you could trust.” Betrayal was nothing new in the world of the sith; in fact, it was the very thing upon which their order was founded. But Quinn wasn’t a sith and, foolishly, Vex had trusted him; he’d never read Quinn’s moods or thoughts, unless they were too loud to ignore, never gone looking for a sign of betrayal. By now, he should have learned the lesson his father had tried to teach him: letting someone close only meant they needed a shorter knife. Ugh, he **HATED** to think that old bastard was right.

“Lord Baras is doing what any _real_ patriot would do.” There was no doubt in Quinn’s voice, no hesitation, only ice.  
The man that Vex’ikale had thought his most loyal companion was in fact, Baras’ man through and through. That revelation hurt—worse than the years of abuse, worse than the loss of his leg, worse than anything. Family had always been a complicated word for him, how could it not be with the shit his family had put him through? But he’d thought that at the very least, his crew—the family he had chosen, were loyal. Turns out he was a shit judge of character. 

“After studying you extensively in battle, I know your strengths and weaknesses better than anyone, and these battle droids are programmed _exclusively_ to deal with you.” Quinn paused as the droids rolled closer. “I know you well enough to know that you will not make this easy, my lord, but I promise the droids will make it quick and as painless as possible—I owe you that at least.”

“You **owe** me that, but you can’t do it yourself?” Vex asked curiously. “Is that a lack of confidence in your abilities, Captain? Or a lack of belief in Baras’ vision for the Empire?” _Do I mean so little to you that you can’t even try to kill me yourself?_ Vex wondered to himself. _Or am I important enough to you that you can’t bear to kill me yourself?_ A small, unbidden voice in the back of his mind added. Maybe it was better if he didn’t get the answer to either of those questions.

“There was no certainty of success that way. I’ve gone over every possibility, and there is a near-zero chance of failure using the droids.”

Vex scoffed. “I think you’re too afraid to look me in the eye and kill me—you coward. You can lie all you want and say this is the best option tactically, but the truth is you are the one person who could have walked up to me and put a blade in my chest, and I never would have seen it coming. You played your part well, Captain…” Sadness and rage warred within him, Vex was hurt and betrayed, and it was tempting to simply give up and die. What was left for him if he couldn’t trust the people he cared about? When he next spoke, his voice was quiet and unsteady. “Was any of it real?”

Quinn didn’t meet his gaze as he replied, “I’m sorry, my lord.”

Yes, it was tempting to simply give in and let Baras win. Maybe his death would prove to Quinn that everything he ever said was the truth—Quinn _was_ the person he trusted and loved best. The person he would do anything to protect. But in the end, sadness fell by the wayside, and anger won out.

  


* * *

Quinn had seen Vex’ikale in battle many times and he’d always been impressed at his skill on the battlefield. Vex’ikale was always restrained in the way he fought. Everything was planned, every move was meant to maximize his effectiveness and bring the battle to a satisfactory conclusion. He was not a mindless murdering machine.  
At least, he hadn’t been that way before.  
Now, Vex’ikale was a force of nature as he battled Quinn’s droids; wrath incarnate in more than just name. It was all Quinn could do to avoid ricocheting blaster fire and the debris hurtling through the air. In fact, several small pieces of shrapnel caught him in the side as one of the droids hurtled into the wall nearest him. He watched Vex’ikale’s lightsaber tear through the droid nearest him. Quinn was close enough to the sith now to see that his eyes were the wrong color; they weren’t the warm, golden color he was used to—they were red except for a ring of yellow at the center.

As he watched Vex’ikale crush one of the droids beyond repair with the force, it was with dawning horror that Quinn realized Vex was _angry_. This wasn’t the leashed rage that Quinn was used to seeing from the sith. No, this was pure, unbridled fury. It was terrifying and awe-inspiring in equal measure. But it didn’t bode well for him. There was only one battle-droid left, and if this was the power Vex commanded when he let himself truly be sith, then all of Quinn’s careful planning had been useless; Vex would win this fight with ease. And then he would turn his attention back to Quinn.

_Was any of it real?_ Vex’s voice echoed in his mind. It seemed Vex thought him cruel enough to string him along. Things would undoubtedly have been simpler if that were true.  
**Yes**, he should have replied, **it was all real**. That was the tragedy of all this. He cared for Vex’ikale, greatly. And in another life, a kinder one, they could have been together. But Quinn owed Baras too much to throw it all away for a pretty face. Even when that pretty face belonged to a man with an even better heart. 

The fight was over; Vex’ikale emerged bloodied but undefeated. This would be his end, and rightly so. People had always called Quinn arrogant, and it _was_ one of his more prominent vices, so it was only fitting that it would be his arrogance that finally got him killed. 

“I should have known.” Quinn hissed through clenched teeth. His injuries weren’t life-threatening, but that didn’t make them hurt any less. But even those hurts paled in comparison to the pain he felt at not feeling worse that his plan to kill Vex had failed. “I thought I had programmed the perfect killing machines; I was painstakingly precise. And it was all for naught.”

“Don’t belittle your abilities, Captain, it was a valiant effort—no one could have done better.” Vex’ikale’s voice was surprisingly soft, and his eyes had settled to that natural golden color. He was covered in blood and Quinn had never seen anything so beautiful.

“That is little comfort, my lord.” Quinn sighed. “I have lied to you, betrayed you and I have failed to kill you—death is all that awaits me, whether by your hand or Lord Baras’. I accept my fate.”

Quinn knelt before the Emperor’s Wrath, shutting his eyes tightly; knowing his end would not be gentle. He awaited it all the same, but nothing happened. Instead, he heard Vex chuckle.

“You expect me to kill you or send you back to Baras and let him do it. Therein lies the problem that brought you to this point in the first place, Captain; you only see two options, but there is a third—there is always another option.” Quinn felt Vex place a hand on his cheek; felt the warmth of blood being smeared at the contact, then the touch of soft lips against his forehead.  
“You’re forgiven, Quinn.”

“My lord?” He opened his eyes to find Vex’ikale’s face so close to his own. 

“Swear to me you won’t ever betray me again, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

Quinn was understandably confused. Vex’ikale had every reason to want to punish him, to _hurt_ him as Quinn had done to him and yet, Vex was offering him mercy? Quinn didn’t deserve forgiveness or that soft look in Vex’s eyes. But he would be a fool to not take it now that it was offered. He had been a fool to agree to kill Vex’ikale, but he would not be one now.

“I am your man, unreservedly, my lord—from this point forward until death takes me.” He swore. And he meant every word of it. Most men that crossed a sith didn’t get a second chance. Force knew Baras wouldn’t have shown him mercy. 

“Good man.” Vex game his shoulder a gentle squeeze, before standing up to his full height. “And don’t be too hard of yourself Malavai; you came closer to killing me than anyone else has in a _long_ time.”

Quinn was surprised when Vex winced and swayed unsteadily on his feet. It was only after that surprise had faded that he noticed Vex’s hand was pressed into his side, the fabric around it stained red. Also, the sith was incredibly pale and seemed to have a difficult time focusing. The sith was in _pain_, Quinn surmised, and if Vex was in pain, he must be badly hurt. 

Vex’ikale had explained once that the attempt on his life that had left the scarring on his face had damaged the pain receptors in his brain, making him resistant to pain; meaning that if Vex was actually _feeling_ pain, then it had to be immense.

  


* * *

Vex’ikale was surprised when Quinn moved to brace him, one arm sliding around his waist. It probably wasn’t a good sign that he couldn’t pinpoint the moment the captain had moved.

“What will you tell the others about what happened?” Quinn asked as he gently helped Vex back to the ship.

“The truth, in part—it was a trap, Baras sent someone to kill me, but it failed. That’s all they need to know.” Vex replied. “Pierce and Jaesa do not share my fondness for you and would doubtless be upset. It is not _their_ job to judge you.”  
Pierce and Jaesa would undoubtedly be angry enough to try to hurt Quinn. And even Vette was going to call him an idiot if she found out he’d just forgiven Quinn like it was nothing. The thing was though, Vex knew better than anyone the sort of power Baras could wield over those weaker than him. Despite what had transpired here, Vex would not let anyone hurt Quinn. Not even those who would do it on his behalf.

“Vex…please, stay awake.” That couldn’t be Quinn’s voice; it sounded far away and far too panicked to belong to the stoic officer. He wanted to focus on what the voice was saying, but he really needed a nap right about now. And with those final thoughts, Vex’ikale stumbled headfirst into darkness.


End file.
